Wales prop Aaron Jarvis will not play again this season after he suffered a
knee ligament injury during the 33-10 defeat against world champions New
Zealand on Saturday.

The Wales prop Aaron Jarvis will not only miss the autumn international against Australia on Saturday and the Six Nations Championship, but will sit out the entire domestic season too, after confirmation of a knee-ligament injury suffered against New Zealand.

The 26-year-old Ospreys tighthead has started all three of Wales’ autumn internationals, in the absence of regional team-mate Adam Jones. However, the former Bath forward lasted barely two minutes against the All Blacks on Saturday. He will undergo surgery and will not ­feature until next season at the earliest.

In the short term for Wales it means a first start since the corresponding fixture last season for Cardiff Blues prop Scott Andrews. Gethin Jenkins, who left the Blues in the summer to join Toulon, might have provided an alternative on the tighthead but, with loosehead Paul James having returned to Bath, Jenkins will start in his more customary position on the opposite side of the scrum.

Coach Warren Gatland will make few other alterations in his side today. Bradley Davies has been ruled out with concussion and Jamie Roberts remains a doubt with a hip injury.

Ryan Jones, who filled in for Davies last weekend, is likely to step up to the second row from blindside flanker with Aaron Shingle coming into the back row. If Roberts misses out, Scott Williams will partner fellow Scarlets three-quarter Jonathan Davies. A third Scarlet, George North, is also in line for a comeback after missing the All Blacks game through injury.

Jarvis’s injury sees the Ospreys without three tighthead props as they prepare for back-to-back Heineken Cup matches against Toulouse.

Jones is not expected back before Christmas while Joe Rees is out for some time after damaging his neck in the LV Cup win over Gloucester.

Andrew Hore, the Ospreys’ chief operations officer, believes the region’s injury woes again highlight the need for reviewing the schedule. “Games in the top European competition go straight into a month of Test rugby, and then back into Europe and the Welsh derbies, for a crucial month-long period in December and January,” Hore said. “­Looking at the players we have lost through injury in recent weeks, it’s clear that the structure isn’t working.”

Australia lock Sitaleki Timani will miss facing Wales after being handed a one-match ban for his part in a fracas against Italy on Saturday.Timani appeared before International Rugby Board judicial officer David Martin yesterday having been cited for striking an opponent in the first half of Australia’s 22-19 victory in Florence.

“Acknowledging the player’s admission of having carried out the act of foul play, the Judicial Officer deemed the incident to be at the low end of the IRB’s table of offending and suspended the player for one week, having taken into account the mitigating factors,” a statement said.

Timani’s absence leaves Australia coach Robbie Deans with Nathan Sharpe and Cadeyrn Neville as the only two available locks in the squad.